Thursday October 6, 2011

Controversial Biofuel Flight Heads For Lanzarote

Arrecife airport will welcome the first commercial biofuel flight from the UK today. As Thomson Airways will be flying passengers from Birmingham to Lanzarote on their 14.25 TOM 7446 service using a mix of conventional jet fuel and fats. A move that has been condemned by environmental campaigners as little more than a PR gimmick.

The biofuel cocktail is made up of a mixture of jet fuel and hydroproccesed fatty acids, with Thomson's claiming that this sustainable fuel will be able to reduce carbon emissions by up to 80% in years to come. Their project has the support of the government’s aviation minister Theresa Villiers.

However the flight to Lanzarote has been dismissed by Friends of the Earth as a hollow PR stunt. With green campaigners claiming that this mix of fuel could only ever power a small percentage of flights worldwide. And that all of the 232 passengers on board would have to save their chip fat for 100 years in order to power the plane.

Biofuels have come to be regarded by green campaigners as even more environmentally damaging than conventional fuels. Not least as their production has led to yet more destruction of rainforest areas in countries such as Malaysia. As a result green groups are now seeking a moratorium on biofuel production.